


Free Fall

by misssophiachase



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mates, Smut, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misssophiachase/pseuds/misssophiachase
Summary: From opposing packs, Klaus and Caroline had a connection from an early age. However, their parents forced them apart five years earlier through lies and deceit, and now they’re coming face-to-face after all these years. (Points of view will alternate.)
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Lucien Castle/Kol Mikaelson, Rebekah Mikaelson/Lorenzo "Enzo" St. John
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. Crash Into You

_**Fox and Hound Bar, Memphis, TN -** _

_**Klaus** _

“Do you think this is a good idea right now?” Lucien asked, keeping his voice low.

“We need a backing singer, Lucien,” he growled, finishing off the last of his beer and placing it back on the bar.

“You know what I mean,” he muttered. “Given current tensions between our packs, putting the call out might attract our enemies.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“I know you love a good fight, Mikaelson, but you’re Alpha now. That risky logic could get, not only you, but the whole pack slaughtered.”

“Were you always this much of a wet blanket when we were younger or has it just been too long, Luc?” Klaus patted his friend on the back affectionately.

He and Lucien were raised together in the Appalachians and roamed together as pups. Theirs was the most formidable pack in North-Eastern America during that time. Although they weren’t without their enemies, the Forbes Pack being their biggest rivals.

“What’s really going on here, mate? You return from London after five years away and insist on getting the band back together, even though you should have far more pressing things on your schedule.”

“You know music has always relaxed me,” he murmured, thinking back to when she’d serenade him as they lay in fields of wildflowers bathed in moonlight. “It’s also the perfect way to signal my return to the States.”

“Trust me, I think everyone already knows you’re back.” Klaus momentarily wondered whether she knew by now and if she was on her way as he’d predicted when he advertised for a singer.

“I think getting back on the road will be good, Lucien, not just for my rusty singing pipes and guitar skills but so we can do a little reconnaissance.”

“You know every square inch of these territories, we’ve roamed them together for years. What more information could you possibly need?”

“You forget I haven’t been here for five years, things can change. Plus it is the perfect cover story.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with...”

“Don’t say it,” he hissed, knowing that if he uttered her name Klaus would struggle to regain his composure. “This is about returning the rightful pack to power. We’ve allowed its power to diminish for too long.”

“You’ve changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“You couldn’t care less about rivalries and power back then, it’s why you escaped to England in the first place. Well, that and because of...”

“What did I tell you about mentioning that?” He emitted a low growl and Lucien could tell he’d overstepped the boundaries.

“Okay, so then what happened in London, Klaus?” A lot, he thought, but there was no way he was willing to divulge that just yet, he didn’t want to endanger his friend unless it was absolutely necessary.

“I had a much-needed rest from my domineering father,” he muttered, knowing that part at least was true. Mikael Mikaelson had recently been taken ill which is why Klaus had begrudgingly returned to take over as Alpha.

He was actually surprised he was chosen given their problematic relationship. Although given Elijah had left the pack to live a ‘normal’ life in New York City, as he liked to call it, and Kol was considered far too immature it wasn’t altogether out of the realms of possibility in hindsight.

“He won’t like this.”

“I couldn’t give a damn, Lucien,” he growled. “He’s not in charge right now, he gave up that right when he named me Alpha of this pack. I have no desire to run things like he did. The fear and intimidation only gets you so far and the fact Bill Forbes has taken back much of the land we claimed shows his methods aren’t working.”

“Even so, how do you expect to gain their trust?”

“I have my ways,” he murmured mysteriously. “What Mikael has never understood is that It isn’t always about the attack. Knowing your enemies is the most important strategy in defeating them.”

“But...”

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?” He chuckled. “Now, how about we get these auditions underway?”

“Last time I checked, I was manager of this band, or did you decide to dump me during your London sojourn?”

“Sister, always a pleasure.”

“Don’t lie, Niklaus, it’s not very becoming on you,” she murmured, peering at him critically. Klaus knew she was still angry about being looked over as Alpha but Mikael was far too sexist to ever make that decision. It wasn’t right, it was just how things were. But Klaus had every intention of using her power and strength to his advantage.

“Rebekah,” Lucien greeted her lazily. “I’d say it’s a pleasure but you know I’d be lying.”

“You know, Lucien, there is a thing called a razor, you might want to use it some time, facial hair does absolutely nothing for you.”

“Okay, children, enough!”

_**Caroline...** _

“I could think of at least fifty other things I’d prefer to be doing right now,” Enzo complained. Caroline just shook her head.

They’d been best friends and roommates for a while now and his whining knew no bounds. She looked at the Fox and Hound Bar looming ahead wondering if she was doing the right thing.

Caroline considered herself to be level-headed for the most part. She executed everything she did with calm consideration but, unfortunately, when it came to a certain wolf things had a tendency to fly out the window, even after all these years. She wasn’t sure why he still had that effect on her. He had no right to invade her thoughts after running away and leaving her but yet here she was. It was five years ago now and Caroline had been living and studying at College far away in California so it shouldn’t matter anymore. But it did.

“Do we think that pulling the fake boyfriend thing to make someone jealous is a little _To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before_?”

“You’ve been watching far too much Netflix,” she muttered. “When we get back to LA I’m cutting you off for your own good, Lorenzo.”

“What exactly is the plan? And just so you know, I’m not kissing you,” he muttered, his disgusted expression saying it all.

“Wow, way to make a girl feel good about herself,” she shot back nervously, looking down at her outfit and fiddling with her golden waves that were cascading down her back. She’d decided on the perfect make your ex regret he ever messed with you ensemble.

Translation; black, leather pants fitted like a second skin and a cropped, Rolling Stones t-shirt. The pants were to make him wish her legs were wrapped around his waist in an entirely non-PG way and the t-shirt because she knew he preferred the Beatles. It was the perfect combination of sexy and sassy.

“You look gorgeous, darling,” he replied, reaching out and squeezing her hand comfortingly. “But are you sure this is a good idea? You’ve spent the past five years trying to get over this guy and failed.”

“I date,” she stuttered.

“Your teddy bear doesn’t count, Forbes,” he replied sarcastically. “Anyway, what is your plan? We both know your singing is off the charts but what happens after you ace the audition?”

Caroline knew what was next and it wasn’t just a little bit of jealous payback. She had been waiting for the day that he returned to the States so she could put her plan in motion.

Her father and the pack were on the precipice of dominating the Mikaelsons but the strategy to appoint a new Alpha had put a rather large dent in their plans. Mikael was predictable in combat, Klaus completely dangerous because he was the absolute opposite.

As soon as Bill had told her, Caroline knew it was time to return to the family fold. She knew he’d put out the call to entice her for his own purposes but Caroline was going to play the Alpha at his own game.

“We call a truce.”

“How does that fit into the revenge plan?”

“Patience, Enzo, all in good time.”

Caroline straightened her t-shirt and powered ahead, nervous but at the same time exhilarated for what was to come. Klaus Mikaelson wouldn’t know what hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: Unbreak My Heart - Toni Braxton, Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus


	2. Homecoming

_**Fox and Hound Bar, Memphis, TN** _

"Holy..." Lucien murmured, his eyes doubling in size while looking past Klaus toward the door.

Klaus immediately turned and realized his instincts were still impeccable. Although, on closer reflection, Klaus knew that with her they were always on point. To say she looked stunning was an understatement, well minus the offensive, Rolling Stones t-shirt but he knew she'd worn it on purpose.

Her blonde waves were longer than he remembered, fanned out over her shoulders, her eyes were bluer than ever. It was, however, her skin a tantalizing shade of creamy ivory, that brought back the most memories. Klaus could recall familiarizing himself with every bare inch. In fact, he could probably still recount every freckle and its location on her body.

The one thing Klaus couldn't deny was her effect on him and it was still completely overwhelming to this day. But there was something else he'd missed.

She made him feel completely breathless.

Every time.

But that was before.

Before she left.

_**7 years earlier…Quarry Tavern, Barre VT** _

_Klaus prided himself on many things. His leadership skills, his unwavering loyalty to those who earned it and his steadfast ability to make decisions based on fact and without any pesky, emotional considerations._

_He'd realized early on that emotion was weakness, something that Mikael had beaten into him on multiple occasions. So, he'd traveled through life having fun but never letting himself get entangled into anything more than a one-night-stand. It was working extremely well for him up until that night in late July._

_With the full moon behind him for the month, Klaus was back on stage with his band. Music was the one thing that had the ability to drown out all of the bad things in his life and truly allow him to relax._

_Klaus had picked up a guitar age nine and over the course of a year had taught himself how to play. It was unheard of for someone his age but it seemed so natural. Lucien used to joke about who he inherited that particular skill from because his parents had no musical talents whatsoever. He'd wondered himself briefly before forging ahead with it and forming his first band, age thirteen._

_Since then he'd had three different bands. Frustrated with the first two, he'd forced both Lucien and Kol to learn an instrument. They'd been reluctant and, in Kol's case, whined a lot but after telling them it was a great way to pick-up it sealed the deal._

_Even though they bickered, Klaus had to admit the chemistry between them was what had been missing. The few, same people that turned out every night became groups and those groups became large crowds. Even though their repertoire was largely covers at this stage, Klaus figured they needed to start somewhere._

_They'd been playing the Quarry in Vermont for the past week. The crowds were heaving; Summer was their busiest season._

_They were due to play their first set of the night in fifteen minutes._ _Klaus liked to sit by himself before they took the stage. He told his bandmates it was because Kol's complaining and Lucien's warm-up, vocal exercises were distracting._

_While they were incredibly distracting, in truth he liked to sit outside by himself. The moon's energy was something that had enticed him since he was a pup, not surprisingly, although not because it angered him but because it gave him the ability to relax and collect his thoughts._

_Tonight, he was part-way through his ritual when he heard a noise coming from the back fence. He opened one eye and then the other, frustrated by the intrusion but also curious who was disturbing his reverie._

_When it didn't seem to be stopping, he stalked quietly towards the sound, wolf-like even in human form. She was clearly attempting to climb the fence, but what he wasn't expecting was to see a toned pair of creamy legs barely covered by a black, mini-skirt. In fact, the brief skirt was hitched that high, her taut backside was in danger of completely revealing itself as well as the remainder of her black, lace panties._

_Klaus licked his lips, briefly considering watching the show unfold but deciding he needed to contain his growing arousal and not encourage it given he was due to perform in less than five minutes._

_"Alright, love?" Her head whipped around, those loose, golden waves following. Her blue eyes were questioning, her creamy skin tinged pink, no doubt from the exercise. On first sight, Klaus couldn't help but think she looked vaguely familiar._

_"I'm fine," she muttered, her gaze unwavering. "In fact, I'd be even finer if you'd leave and pretend you never saw me."_

_"Well, given the view, I think it's going to be difficult to pretend." She looked at her legs, desperately trying to pull the stretchy fabric down further but failing miserably. In the end, she obviously realized it was a lost cause and scaled the remainder of the fence, then jumped down within inches of him._

_"Do you always ogle females?" His keen, wolf sense of smell meant he'd detected her scent from afar but up this close, it was messing with him. A mixture of vanilla, cinnamon, and strawberries that had the ability to render him momentarily useless. He shook his head attempting to clear the fog and concentrate._

_"I never ogle because that would mean we were living in another century," he joked. "The only reason I was perusing your assets was that they were difficult to ignore, what with that barely-there skirt bunched up so high," he murmured, eyeing it teasingly. She eventually pulled it down and Klaus had to admit he was disappointed to see such perfection disappear._

_"Happy now?"_

_"I wouldn't say that," he smiled knowingly. "But I am curious as to why you decided to wear a short skirt if you were going to be scaling high fences? I would have thought jeans would have been a much more practical choice, but that's just me."_

_"Obviously, you can sing but aren't very bright," she muttered._ _"It's a shame really."_

_"As far as back-handed compliments go, I think that's probably the best one I've ever received," he chuckled._

_"I wasn't expecting to scale a fence obviously," she shot back, rolling her eyes. "But when my fake ID option fell through, this seemed like a good alternative. Well, you know, at the time."_

_"Now who's the bright one?"_

_"Is there any chance we can quit the small talk and you can let me inside?" She pleaded, her lower lip sticking out further no doubt as an extra maneuver to convince him. "I mean I did come specially to see your band."_

_"I'm not sure I'm quite ready to commit a felony just because you supposedly like my band," he replied. "How old are you?"_

_"Will that get me inside?" He gave her a look which plainly said it wouldn't. "I'm seventeen, next month," she said the last two words quieter than the first two._

_Being barely nineteen, Klaus didn't think it was too much of an ask. He'd been at pubs since then, perhaps earlier, but ID had never been an issue in their world._ _Klaus knew that the pack wars had heated up recently and elders had insisted upon strict curfews for those under 18, the elderly and the vulnerable._

_Alaric Saltzman owned the Quarry and was usually pretty relaxed with the rules given the bar was out of the way of prying eyes (exactly why Klaus liked it) but the orders had come from the very top this time and weren't to be ignored. Even though he knew exactly who the orders came from, Klaus had never really liked rules and there was also something about her he couldn't reconcile._

_"I've been trying to work out for the past five minutes why you look so familiar," he stated, hoping for some kind of crumbs. She merely shrugged her shoulders by way of response. "And why I'm stupidly going to do this.."_

_"Oh look, I think those brain cells are regenerating," she teased, attempting to walk past him. He couldn't miss the rush of exhilaration he felt as she grazed his shoulder. Who was this girl and what was she doing to him?"_

_"Hold on," he insisted, making her stop. "If I let you go in there, what are you going to do for me?"_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You heard me, love," he replied. "I'm going to need some sort of payment and in lieu of that, a favor."_

_"What kind of favor?" She asked, hands-on-hips and squinting her blue eyes narrowly in his direction. Given her adversarial stance, it was clear she had misconstrued what he'd asked._

_"Not in that way," he quickly replied. "Can you sing?"_

_"Now that I wasn't expecting," she murmured, obviously considering his question. "Of course, I can sing. In fact, I could probably give you a run for your money."_

_"That's a pretty big call to make," he whistled, catching a hint of her perfume in the breeze and willing himself to concentrate yet again. "My backing singer flaked at the last minute and she was supposed to sing a couple of songs."_

_"I've seen her before on YouTube, you can do better," she explained. "And when I say better, I mean me."_

_"I can't just take your word for it.." before he could continue she started to sing._

_"And I wonder if I ever crossed your mind._

_For me, it happens all the time._

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now."_

_He knew the song and didn't think he'd ever heard it sung so beautifully._

_"Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now._

_And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now."_

_Klaus didn't even realize he finished the last couple of lines with her._ _It was only part of a song but Klaus wasn't quite sure what to say. Words couldn't explain just how good she was and even more so with him._

_"So, we found a replacement for April then?" Kol interrupted, coming through the back door and happening upon their impromptu duet. Klaus was still in shock, his brain not moving fast enough to reply._

_"You did," she said, sending his brother her best smile. "I'm Caroline." Klaus liked the way it sounded rolling off her tongue, in fact, it was something he could get used to over and over again. She was something he could get used to. Caroline walked inside leaving them alone for a minute._

_"Father is going to kill us," he mumbled._

_"Again? Why this time exactly?"_

_"I didn't recognize her at first but when she said her name was Caroline..."_

_"Caroline Forbes," Klaus finished, his heart sinking._

_Why did his father and the rivalry have to ruin every facet of his life? Now he'd inadvertently not only let the only daughter of Bill Forbes into the bar breaking all of the curfew rules but now she was going to sing in his band for a rather sizeable crowd._

_Everything in him was screaming "abort" but for some reason, Klaus wanted to take the chance and screw the consequences. Something happened between them and Klaus was desperate to find out exactly what that was and how he felt._

Klaus slowly broke free from his memory realizing exactly how she made him feel then. Although looking at her today, he realized there were still elements of that breathlessness but they were now intermingled with an underlying, sharp pain in his chest.

Hurt.

The number of emotions he was currently experiencing was threatening to spill over and Klaus knew he couldn't show that weakness, especially to her of all people. She didn't deserve it.

She looked at him, her gaze unwavering almost like she was saying…

"Well?" It was eerie how he could tell exactly what she was going to say, even after all this time.

"Hello to you too, love" he smirked, unable to stop the endearment from slipping out, although Klaus knew this time it wasn't done in love, it was all part of his plan to entice her and then use her to gain the upper hand. She faltered briefly and Klaus knew he still had it. "What can we help you with?"

"I assume you know why I'm here," she shot back, raising her eyebrows. "Lucien," she greeted, whilst simultaneously gesturing for him to pick up his jaw from the floor. Klaus wished his best friend could have been a touch more calm and collected but he couldn't have everything. "Is that the stray beginnings of a beard I see? I'm not sure it's really you, to be honest."

Klaus had to resist the urge not to laugh given his sister had said that only ten minutes earlier. Speaking of the blonde devil, Klaus knew she was no doubt in the ladies' room sharpening her claws. Klaus had decided to tell her that Caroline might audition so she didn't cause a scene. But where his sister was concerned there most definitely was going to be a scene. Rebekah really should have been an actress, not a band manager.

"You know I'm the best singer in these parts, I don't know why you didn't just call me up because it would have saved you time."

"I suppose I'd needed to know where you were in order to do that," he shot back, his terse tone not lost on her. Klaus knew this was going to be difficult but nothing had prepared him for Caroline Forbes coming back into his life. "Enough with the pleasantries, are you ready to audition?" He asked, noticing for the first time a brunette male in the background. "Are you lost?"

"I'm.."

"The audition call was for a female backing singer," he growled, thinking he was too old for this.

"He's not auditioning, he's with me," Caroline murmured, her blue eyes unflinching. Klaus felt like someone had punched him in the stomach and realized at that point maybe his claws needed sharpening too. "Are we ready to start?" Klaus nodded, clearing his throat and willing himself to calm down, he could see out of the corner of his eye Lucien was sending him the same message.

"What will you be singing?"

" _Need You Now,_ " she replied nonchalantly. "I figured it's an oldie but a goodie."

Given she was the one to leave him all those years ago, Klaus figured it was incredibly nasty to twist the knife like that. It was their song after all. Well, it was once.

Not only did she look good enough to eat, but she had also brought some boyfriend along and on top of that was singing their song. Klaus knew he was 0 from 1 and needed to turn that around in order to execute his plan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack - Homecoming - Kanye West, Need you Now - Lady Antebellum


End file.
